By Steve Hadfield, AgedCareActionPlan.au · Last updated: 26 April 2026
There were more than 80,000 people on the National Priority Waiting List in early 2025. The average wait across all levels was six months. Under the old Level 4, waits stretched to 12–15 months. Support at Home replaced the queue system on 1 November 2025 with a priority-based allocation model — but the underlying demand has not disappeared. If you are waiting, you are not alone and you have not been forgotten.
Being approved for Support at Home and then hearing nothing is one of the most common and most disorienting experiences in the aged care system. The letter says you've been approved. The clock says care is needed. The phone doesn't ring.
This guide explains exactly how the queue works, what your priority category means, what interim funding is, and what you can do to get practical help moving while you wait.
Approval means you have been assessed as eligible for Support at Home services. It does not mean funding has been allocated. Funding is released quarterly — in July, October, January, and April. How quickly you receive it depends on your priority category and overall demand at the time of allocation.
The Support at Home Priority System replaced the old Home Care Package National Priority System on 1 November 2025. The mechanics changed but the underlying reality did not: there is more assessed need than immediately available funding. The government releases funding progressively, and people in higher priority categories receive it first.
This is a systemic issue, not an administrative error. The escalation ladder covers what to do if your wait has been unreasonably long or your needs have significantly deteriorated since assessment.
Most families experience three separate waits. Understanding which one you are in tells you what action is available.
Typical timeline: 2–6 weeks after you call My Aged Care
After you register with My Aged Care, an assessment organisation contacts you to arrange an in-home assessment visit. How quickly this happens depends on your assessed urgency. If the situation is urgent — recent hospital discharge, safety risk at home, significant decline — say so clearly when you register. Urgency affects the timeline.
Typical timeline: Up to 2 weeks after the assessment visit
After the assessment, the assessor submits their findings and a delegate reviews and approves the classification recommendation. You then receive your Notice of Decision letter — which confirms your classification and starts your access approval date. The clock on your 56-day activation window does not start until this letter arrives.
Typical timeline: Varies significantly by priority category
This is the variable wait — the one that can stretch from weeks to months. Your priority category determines where you sit in the queue. Within your priority level, allocation is generally based on your access approval date. Interim funding at 60% of your budget is offered when wait times exceed expectations.
The Support at Home Priority System assigns each approved participant a priority category based on their assessed care needs, risk factors, and circumstances. There are three main categories for ongoing Support at Home services:
For people with immediate, high-risk care needs — typically recent hospital discharge, acute deterioration, or significant safety risk at home. If your assessor determines urgent priority, funding should be allocated within one month of your access approval date.
For people with significant care needs that are not immediately life-threatening. Wait times are longer than urgent but shorter than standard. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current estimated wait times — the government updates these as demand changes.
For people with moderate care needs. Wait times are longest in this category. If your needs increase significantly while you are in the standard priority queue, contact My Aged Care to discuss whether a priority reassessment is warranted.
Current estimated wait times are published at myagedcare.gov.au and updated as new data becomes available. Check directly for the most current figures.
When wait times for ongoing funding are longer than expected, the government may offer interim funding — 60% of your approved classification budget — so you can begin receiving critical services while you wait for full allocation.
Waiting for Support at Home funding does not mean waiting for all care. Several options are available while the queue moves.
Ask My Aged Care about CHSP
The Commonwealth Home Support Programme provides entry-level support — cleaning, meals, transport, social support, personal care — and continues as a separate program until at least 1 July 2027. Call My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and specifically ask whether CHSP is available in your area while you wait for Support at Home funding. See the first 72 hours guide (agedcareactionplan.au/guides/first-72-hours) for what CHSP covers. Not every operator will mention it unprompted.
Research and shortlist providers now
Use the waiting period to compare at least 3 registered providers. Get their fee percentages, service lists, and worker availability in your area in writing. When funding is allocated, you want to be able to sign an agreement within days — not start the provider search from scratch. See the guide to choosing a provider for what to ask.
Check your account status is 'seeking services'
Log into your My Aged Care Online Account and confirm your status shows 'seeking services' — not 'not seeking services.' If it shows 'not seeking services,' you will not be offered funding when it becomes available, regardless of your priority category.
Keep records if your needs change
If your health or care situation deteriorates significantly while you are in the queue, contact My Aged Care to discuss whether a priority reassessment is warranted. Document specific incidents — falls, hospitalisations, increased dependence — with dates. This is what supports a reassessment request.
Contact OPAN if the wait is unreasonably long
The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free, independent advocacy for people in the aged care system. If you believe your priority category does not reflect your needs, or if your wait has been significantly longer than the published estimates, OPAN can help you raise this formally. Call 1800 700 600.
If you were on the National Priority System waiting for a Home Care Package before 1 November 2025, you automatically transitioned to the Support at Home Priority System. You kept your place in the queue — you were not pushed to the back.
When funding becomes available, you will receive a Support at Home classification equivalent to the Home Care Package level you were approved for. A new assessment is only required if your care needs have changed significantly and you want to be considered for a higher classification level.
"Hi, I'm calling to check the status of my Support at Home application. My reference number is [number]. I was approved on [date] and I want to confirm my priority category and ask for an estimated timeline for funding allocation. Can you also confirm whether the Commonwealth Home Support Programme has anything available in my area in the meantime?"
If your care needs have significantly deteriorated since your original assessment — a fall, a hospitalisation, a carer no longer being available — contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 and ask specifically about a priority reassessment or urgent reallocation.
If you are in hospital right now, ask the hospital social worker about Transition Care — a separate program providing up to 12 weeks of post-discharge support that bypasses the standard Support at Home queue. This must be arranged while you are still an admitted patient.
If My Aged Care is not responding to your urgency, the escalation ladder sets out the formal steps — including OPAN advocacy (1800 700 600) and, if necessary, the ACQSC (1800 951 822).
Get a personalised action plan that tells you exactly what to do at every stage — including while you're waiting for funding.
It depends on your priority category. Urgent priority: full funding within 1 month. High and standard priority: estimated wait times are published and updated at myagedcare.gov.au. If waits exceed expectations, interim funding at 60% of your budget is offered while you wait for full allocation.
Interim funding is 60% of your approved classification budget. You don't apply — My Aged Care contacts you if eligible. You can sign a service agreement and begin services. The remaining 40% is allocated when available and is not backdated.
Ask about CHSP services in the short term. Shortlist at least 3 providers. Keep records of your needs — if your situation deteriorates, request a priority reassessment. Confirm your status is 'seeking services' in your My Aged Care Online Account.
It replaced the old National Priority System on 1 November 2025. Funding is allocated by priority category — urgent, high, or standard — not purely by date. Urgent needs are always prioritised. Within each level, allocation is generally by approval date.
Yes, in many cases. CHSP continues as a separate program until at least 1 July 2027. Ask My Aged Care on 1800 200 422 whether CHSP is available in your area. It's often the fastest way to get practical help while the Support at Home queue moves.
Need a complete personalised plan for your situation?
This guide is for information only — not legal, medical, or financial advice. Verified against the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025. Check myagedcare.gov.au for current rates and rules.